Elias's River Adventure

Elias bounced on his toes, his sandals making little thump-thump sounds on the wooden jetty. The Brisbane sun warmed his face, and the air smelled like river water and yummy hot chips from the shop nearby. Today was a super special day. He was visiting his dad, Nick, at his brand-new job at the boat shed, and Elias loved nothing more than trying new things. "Ready for an adventure, mate?" Dad asked, ruffling his hair.

Inside the shed, long, skinny boats rested like sleeping needles. "These are racing boats," Dad said, his voice full of pride. "They're the fastest boats on the river, but only if you know the secret. You have to pull the oars together, in perfect time, to make them fly." Elias's eyes went wide. A secret? A boat that could fly? He had to try!

Dad put him in a special practice boat that didn't even touch the water. Elias grabbed the big oars. He remembered Dad saying "pull," so he pulled with all his might! Whoosh! Clunk! Wobble! One oar dipped low and the other flew high. He tried again. Clunk! Wobble! Whoosh! It was much trickier than it looked. "Dad," he mumbled, feeling a bit frustrated. "This boat is all wobbly!"

Nick chuckled. "It's not about pulling hard, it's about finding the rhythm. Listen. It's a song: Splash-and-glide, splash-and-glide." They climbed into a real boat on the sparkling river. Elias closed his eyes, listened to his dad, and pulled. Splash... and-glide. He did it again, at the exact same time as Dad. Splash-and-glide. The boat shot forward, smooth and fast, right under the big, grey Story Bridge! "We're doing it!" Elias yelled with glee.

They rowed together, their oars making the perfect splash-and-glide music on the water. Elias learned that trying new things was brilliant, and doing them together with a steady rhythm was the best secret of all. Afterwards, they sat on the grassy bank, eating jam sandwiches and squishy lamingtons, watching the big CityCats chug past. It was the best adventure ever.